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NATO LEGISLATORS MEET IN CANADA AHEAD OF ALLIANCE SUMMIT

Two weeks before the NATO Summit in Riga, The NATO Parliamentary Assembly brings together in Québec, Canada, some 300 lawmakers from NATO and partner countries for its 52nd Annual Session, from 13-17 November.

The 5-day session is focusing on a wide range of issues currently affecting the Transatlantic Alliance, including the future role and relevance of NATO, which will be further elaborated and agreed at the NATO Summit in Riga.

The situation in Afghanistan is central to the discussions as it is seen as a test of NATO's ability to help countries in urgent need for external assistance to preserve their security and stability.

Other issues discussed in Québec include:
* The situation concerning Iran's nuclear aspirations and the need to maintain a common transatlantic approach.
* Relations with countries seeking closer relations with NATO, including the 3 countries of the Adriatic Charter (Albania, Croatia, The FYR of Macedonia*) who are next in line for membership.
* The situation in the Balkans, and particularly in Kosovo.
* Georgia's aspirations as well as the very difficult situation that country is facing in its relations with Russia.
* Developments in Ukraine and relations with Russia, countries that are both enjoying special partnership programs with the Assembly.
* Other regional issues including the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and China's development challenge.

The Québec Session concludes Friday 17 November with a plenary meeting addressed by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (via satellite video link-up), Canada's Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor, and Croatia's Foreign Minister Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

* Turkey recognises the Repiblic of Macedonia with its constitutional name

HIGHLIGHTS

15 November 2006 - WORLD EXPERT TELLS NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS GLOBAL WARMING CAN BE STOPPED [PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ]
A world expert in climate change told NATO parliamentarians today that there were increasing signs that governments were taking global warming seriously and believed it could be halted altogether if more measures were adopted.

24 October 2006 - THE INTERNAL SITUATION, AS MUCH AS TRANSDNISTRIA, SLOWS MOLDOVA'S EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]
Political divisions and socio-economic problems as much as the dispute with the breakaway region of Transdnistria are factors hampering Moldova's path towards further integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. This was the general conclusion of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Rose-Roth seminar held in Chisinau from 19-21 October, in cooperation with the parliament of Moldova. Some 50 participants - including legislators from NATO and partner countries, Moldovan cabinet members, and representatives from NATO, EU, OSCE and local NGOs - gathered to discuss the country's uncertain future on the eve of Romania's EU accession, which will bring Moldova to the Union's border on January 1st, 2007.

16-17 OCTOBER 2006 - VISIT TO BAKU, AZERBAIJAN BY THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON FUTURE SECURITY AND DEFENCE CAPABILITIES
1. Eleven members of the Subcommittee on Future Security and Defence Capabilities visited Azerbaijan on 16-17 October. Led by Chairman Vahit Erdem, the delegation met with government officials, members of parliament, and military officers, as well as ambassadors from NATO countries and representatives from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The purpose of the visit was to learn more about Azerbaijan's political and security sector reform process. As such, discussions focused on Azerbaijan's plans for integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions, various aspects of the reform process, and ongoing security concerns and relations with its neighbours.

17 October 2006 - More Proactive Strategy towards Belarus Needed [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]
Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly gathered in Vilnius, on 11-13 October for the 2nd Vilnius Seminar on Belarus, organized jointly by the Assembly and the parliament of Lithuania. The purpose of this seminar was to receive updated perspectives on the political, economic and human rights situation in Belarus, and to discuss how international community can best encourage democratic change in Belarus. The 70 participants in the seminar included legislators, members of the Belarusian democratic opposition, EU and NATO officials, diplomats, NGO representatives, and international relations specialists who focus on Belarus.

9 October 2006 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT KOSOVO [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]
NATO parliamentarians visited Kosovo on 4-6 October on a fact-finding mission. Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Political Committee met with senior representatives from the international community, including KFOR, UNMIK, and the EU's Senior High Representative. On its way to Kosovo, the delegation met UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari in Vienna, whilst in Pristina it held meetings, among others, with Kosovo's Prime Minister Agim Ceku and President Fatmir Sejdiu, as well as with leaders of the Kosovo-Serb community.